The Send Off
by SportsMetalWWEandPonyFan2578
Summary: The beginning of something I'm calling "The Maddock Chronicles." What happens when Celestia and Luna send a young Earth pony with a prejudice against unicorns to learn friendship from Twilight? Rated T. Read and review. Thanks in advance!
1. A Canterlot Orphan

His name was Maddock. If that seems to be a strange name for a pony, then you understand the problems he had. His name and his cutie mark, a work tool, all seemed to come from the most mundane of tasks. He had no friends. He had no family. Orphaned at a young age, he was left to walk the streets of Canterlot alone. His mother and father had died in a magic related accident, when a certain unicorn showing off had accidentally dropped an entire wagon on them.

Ever since that day, he had loathed magic and unicorns. He was a simple earth pony, and in his current state, he thought that the only ponies worth doing anything for were his own kind. Call it pony racism, call it simple backlash from a tragedy, but whatever it was, he felt it…and lots of it.

So now he found himself once again wandering the streets of Canterlot looking for something. What he was looking for, he didn't know. Was it shelter? A job? Hospitality of any sort? _Yes…that would be nice,_ he thought, _just to have a warm place to spend the night._ His mind shifted back to a cozy picture that would not be unlike something humans might see in a fire lit living room in the middle of winter. A simple room, with only a small sofa and carpet adorning it, yet it was warmer than any room in Equestria because this was his old living room.

This was the room where his parents would read him stories about old Equestria before he would be sent off to bed. He vividly remembered the tales of Star Swirl the Bearded, Mist Mane, and other famous ponies, and how excited he'd be by them. He remembered acting them out in his spare time, impressing his schoolmates with his knowledge of the legends.

But then his mind turned to the darkest day of his life. The day that had made him hate all unicorns, and burn his books on Star Swirl, Mist Mane, and other famous horned ponies. His parents were simply watering their garden when an entire wagon fell on them magically, crushing them to death. He was walking back from school when the incident occurred, and he rushed to his parents' side. But it was too late. Their broken bodies and bleeding mouths told the entire story.

His face turned to intense anger as he walked along. _How?!_ He screamed inside his mind, _how could that stupid unicorn have done such a thing?! HOW?!_ At this point, he stopped and turned his head towards the castle of Princesses Celestia and Luna. Them? Them he didn't mind. They weren't pure bred unicorn. They were unfortunately stuck with unicorn powers, but they did have elements of both Pegasus ponies and Earth ponies in them, so he didn't mind them. He just wished they would give up magic. After all, he had survived on his own for years without it, so he didn't really see the necessity.

 _Something that's unnecessary at best and lethal at worst should be banned from Equestria,_ he thought viciously, _after all, why the heck do the unicorns get all the magic power?!_ He stared angrily at the castle for a few minutes. The reflection of the sun going down and evening beginning seemed to tantalize his eyes as it bounced off the roof of the building. His stare softened. _Well…at least they have somewhere warm to sleep tonight,_ he thought.

He turned and began walking back towards the castle, hoping somepony somewhere might help him…as long as they weren't unicorns, of course. He didn't think he could ever accept a favor from a unicorn. But as he walked along, his hopes of finding somewhere warm to stay the night waned as the moon waxed.

Suddenly, he found himself walking right up beside the castle. At this point, he didn't have anything to lose, so he nudged one of the windows open and jumped inside. Hiding behind a suit of pony armor, he began to adjust to his new surroundings. The hallway he was in was gigantic. But, to his delight, it was warm. The chills of the wintry weather outside couldn't penetrate the stone walls, so he thought it would be a perfect place to spend the night…


	2. Discoveries and Dreams

…He found a small nook that was just his size and tucked himself away. He made sure to keep a listen for small hoof movements on the carpeted floor as he prepared himself for the night's slumber. Hearing nothing but the small rattle of the windows as the breeze played with them from the outside, he curled up and let darkness and the quiet overtake him.

As he slept, he dreamt of his parents. He remembered with great fondness how much they had loved him, and how much they had cared for him. He remembered the cold winters when he and his father would play in their front yard, building snow ponies and snow forts and pretending to be kings of the winter wonderland. He also remembered his mother's fresh and warm apple fritters, which were as sweet as honey to the tongue.

He had not had such a warm and wonderful night's rest since he became orphaned all those years ago. He was used to spending the cold nights alone on street corners or in boxes that ponies threw away in the back alleys of Canterlot. A lot of this was the result of his hatred of unicorns, for whenever one of them offered to shelter him for the night, he would turn them down with a disgusted look in his eye. The scars of his parents' tragic passing ran deep, and he made sure to let every unicorn he met know about it.

But as he slept and dreamed this wonderful dream, something happened. Suddenly, the dream flashed white and the memories of his parents swept away as if on the open sea. He found himself floating amongst the stars with nothing but the moon hovering above his head. Then the moon flashed, and Princess Luna herself came out of it.

Maddock knew of the importance of the pony which now stood before him, so he bowed in respect. Luna smiled and raised his head with a hoof. "Dear Maddock," she said softly and then added with a wry grin, "we know you're here." Maddock gasped. "But, wait," he said, "how? I mean, I made sure to check for guards and everything."

Once again, Luna smiled. "Yes, but you cannot check for royalty wandering the halls of their castle while you sleep. Remember, I guard the night and the dreams of ponies, which means I'm awake at this time." Maddock blushed. So Luna had found him while he was sleeping. "OK, you caught me," he said, "so, what? Are you gonna wake me up and throw me out?"

Luna shook her head. "Quite the opposite. I'm glad you're here, Maddock," she said, "for I have something to show you." With that, she led the now confused pony up a trail of stars and into what seemed to be an endless void. When they came out of the darkness, they were standing in front of a certain hotel in Canterlot.

Luna noticed that Maddock had a concerned look on his face. She smiled to herself, because that was exactly what she needed to see. "You know this hotel?" She asked, already knowing the answer. "Yes…yes, I do," Maddock said sheepishly, then added with disgust "this unicorn, she offered to put me up for the night. But I can't accept a favor from a unicorn. Not after what they did to my family!"

"Perhaps you do not understand what such thinking has done to you," Luna said. Then she rapidly began to run through all of the times when he had refused a unicorn's kind offer to assist him. They had ranged from hotel owners to restaurant chefs offering him a free meal to unicorns offering to hire him. One by one, he had turned them all down.

Maddock looked distraught. "You see, Maddock," Luna said, "your ignorance is only hurting yourself. You have missed chances to make friends and to help, not only yourself, but the ponies around you. Do not let the tragedies of the past guide your thinking in the present." With that, Luna returned to the moon and in a flash, she was gone.

Back in the palace, Maddock awoke with a start. His face was covered in sweat. He knew he had to find Princess Luna. He had to know what the dream meant. Immediately, he began to run through the dark halls of the palace. He didn't care who saw him, he knew he had to get to the princess.

He ran by a couple of guard ponies. "Stop! Halt!" They shouted and began running after him. He thought he saw the back end of a flowing tail going around one of the corners, so he turned it and skidded to a halt as he almost ran into Luna. The princess, now aware of his presence, turned and gave him a bit of a neutral look. She didn't look particularly happy to see him, but she didn't look angry either.

The guards turned and skidded to a halt as well, bowing low before Luna before standing at full attention. "It's OK," the princess said, "I know of the intrusion. You may return to your post." The guards bowed once again and returned to their duties. Maddock, on the other hand (or hoof, as they say in Equestria), couldn't stop looking at Luna. Her flowing mane glistened in the moonlight that dissolved and rejoined itself through the glass behind her. She looked so quietly majestic in that moment.

Then, she smiled at Maddock. "That dream was sent to you for a reason," she said softly, "come." She beckoned at him with a hoof and he followed her. They went through a pair of double doors and out to a balcony that overlooked the sleeping city. Here, she stopped and turned towards him. "I have notified Celestia of your intrusion," she said, "at first, she was angry. But then I told her that I had been observing you as of late and we believe we have come up with a suitable punishment for somepony like you…"


	3. Punishment or Fun?

…Maddock gulped nervously. What was Luna about to do to him? _OK,_ he thought, _if she does kill me, PLEASE, for the love of Celestia, let her make it quick!_ He shut his eyes and prepared to face his fate. "We want you…to learn true friendship," she said. Maddock slowly opened his eyes and gave the Princess a curious look. "Friendship?" He asked.

Luna nodded. "Forgive me, Your Majesty," Maddock said, "but…how exactly is this a punishment? I thought friendship was supposed to be fun."

Luna smiled. "Yes, it is fun. But there's so much more to it than simple fun. You must learn how to respect other ponies, no matter what they've done to you. There's a certain pony that we believe can best teach you this. You are to go to Ponyville immediately, locate her, and begin your lessons."

"But…who is this pony?"

"You'll find her in time. But first you must learn to associate with others. You've been on your own for so long, it seems you have forgotten this. So we'll remedy that by making you search Ponyville until you find her."

"But…I-I don't even get a description? Something? Anything?!"

"Nope," Princess Luna said with a small smirk, "nothing. Consider this your first test of friendship."

"But I haven't learned anything yet!" 

At this, Luna giggled softly and retreated back through the double doors, beckoning for Maddock to follow. They went inside and down some stairs to the main floor of the palace. "Normally, my sister would be the one to see you off," Luna said, "but it's still very early in the morning and I don't want to disturb her again. So I'll be taking care of that."

Maddock turned and took one last look at the princess of the night. Her mane flowed. The stars seemed to dance through it. He didn't know how the two princesses did it. Their manes never stopped moving. In truth, he was a little envious and wished he could do it as well. _It's probably magic,_ he thought in disgust, _magic, magic, magic. Even the Alicorn princesses can't stay away from it!_

Luna maneuvered around Maddock and opened the door to the outside world. "I have made arrangements for you on the first train to Ponyville. It leaves in 3 hours. Remember, learn true friendship, and maybe this hurtful way of thinking will leave your heart." With that, she ushered Maddock out the door and closed it behind him.

Maddock stood there in a bit of shock as the winter wind whipped its way around him. _Wow…_ he said to himself, _I figured a princess would treat a guest with a little more respect. Must be the unicorn influence in her,_ he thought. He didn't understand that what Luna and Celestia were doing was really for his own good. He didn't understand that, in order to accept his parents' fate and truly move on from it, he needed to accept that not every unicorn was a showboat with magic.

Three hours later, he found himself on a train heading into Ponyville. The ride was short and there was really nothing of interest to look at along the way, but there were too many confusing thoughts running through his mind to make much of anything. _Why the heck would Luna send me to Ponyville to find a mystery pony that is supposed to teach me about friendship? For that matter, why the heck do I need friends?! All I need is somewhere to eat, somewhere to sleep, and somewhere to work that isn't crawling with unicorns!_

When the train squealed and groaned to a stop at the station, Maddock darted out quickly. He certainly didn't want to associate with any of the ponies getting off the train, considering a lot of them were unicorns. With this being accomplished, he pulled out a small map of Ponyville that Luna had given him before he was sent off.

 _OK…where to begin?_ He asked himself, _hm…Sugar Cube Corner. Well, I am hungry, and that sounds like somewhere to grab something to eat._ But then he remembered with a bit of sadness that he had no money whatsoever to pay for anything. He had been fired off of his last job for insulting a unicorn worker, and had spent the long nights since wandering the streets of Canterlot.

 _With luck, maybe I'll run into a nice non-unicorn who can help me,_ he said. So with that in mind, he trotted towards the bakery…


	4. Pinkie Pie

As he arrived at the bakery, he noticed with a bit of a start just how whimsical the place was. It looked as if it had been built to replicate a gigantic birthday cake of some sort. He couldn't help but smile as memories of his own younger days washed over him. He remembered that his parents would always deliver a spectacular birthday cake for he and his friends to enjoy.

 _Surely this place can't be all bad,_ Maddock thought as he trudged towards the door, _maybe it's not even run by a unicorn. Maybe there won't be a single one in here!_ But as he walked through the door, what should he see but a white coated unicorn standing there in front of him. He couldn't believe it. _UGH! Why won't they just go away?!_

Out of spite, he bumped into the young mare. She turned and regarded him with a bit of a snooty look. "Um…pardon me, sir," she said in a bit of an accented voice, "but I believe you bumped into me."

"Yeah," he replied unkindly, "what of it?"

"Well, I mean…I would assume you would apologize."

"Apologize? To a unicorn? Give me a break," he said before sneering at her, "I wouldn't apologize to a unicorn if they were the last pony in Equestria. Now, the line's moving, so your butt should be moving as well."

The white mare turned and huffed a bit before advancing in line. Once she made her purchase, she turned and huffed again before leaving the store. Finally, it was Maddock's turn. The mare working the counter was a pink pony, with a cutie mark of balloons. He couldn't figure out what that was supposed to be about, but she was an earth pony, so he was satisfied with her no matter what she did.

"Hi, there!" She said excitedly, "welcome to Sugar Cube Corner. Can I get you something?"

Maddock immediately took back all the nice thoughts he had about this pony. She was way, way too excited for his liking. "Um…well," he stammered, "yes, you can. See, I just arrived from Canterlot, and I'm awfully hungry, but I…," here he stopped and blushed, "…I really don't have any bits to pay for anything. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I was homeless in Canterlot and-"

"Say no more," the pink pony said with enthusiasm, "you wait right there and I'll be right back with a couple delicious treats!" With that, she bounced into the back room. Maddock stared at his surroundings. This must have been the sweetest place in all of Equestria. It certainly looked that way from the décor.

Soon, the pink pony returned with a tray full of cupcakes, fritters, and other assorted treats. "Here you go, compliments of myself and Mr. and Mrs. Cake!"

"Wow…thanks so much," he said before chewing on a fritter, "I'm so thankful there are still ponies like you in Equestria. After all, we earth ponies need to stick together. By the way, I was sent here by Princess Luna." 

"Oh, really?! That's super-duper cool!"

"Um, yeah. Well, anyway, she sent me here to find a certain pony. I'm supposed to learn about true friendship from her. Do you know of anypony who does that kind of thing?"

"Do I know her?! I'm best friends with her!"

Maddock took a second to clear his ears after that outburst and then said, "that's great. Do you know where I could find her at this hour?" He then covered his ears and prepared for another outburst. But the pink pony settled down a bit.

"Sure," she said simply, "she's probably at her castle…either that, or she's working in her office at the School of Friendship."

"Wait-wait-wait," he said, "there's a school that teaches friendship?"

"Yep!" The pink one said, "I'm a teacher there, when I'm not busy here."

"Uh-huh," Maddock said in a bit of disbelief. How could this energetic pony teach other ponies about anything? She was much too bouncy. He remembered his teachers all having patience and working with students to make sure they understood a concept. The idea that this pink pony was a teacher of anything was very hard to swallow.

"That's neat," he said out loud, "so what's this pony's name."

"Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"Princess Twilight?" He said, "you mean THE Princess Twilight? The unicorn I've seen in newspapers around Canterlot?"

"Well, she's an Alicorn now, but…yeah."

At this point, he grumbled to himself. To be force taught friendship was bad enough, but to have it taught to him by a pony that was already corrupted by the forces of magic? He didn't mind Alicorns, but what he did mind was the magic they contained. That was what killed his parents. That was what destroyed his life at such a young age.

"Um…are you OK?" The pink pony asked. She had noticed him staring off into space. "You kinda checked out on me."

Maddock shook his head to clear his mind and then nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm OK. By the way, my name's Maddock."

"Cool!" The pink one said enthusiastically, "I love meeting new ponies. I'm Pinkie Pie!" With that, she bounced around the corner of the counter and threw her hooves around him in a friendly hug. "I can tell you and I are gonna be best friends!"

At that thought, Maddock wanted greatly to upchuck the contents of what had just been given to him. _Me? Friends with this idiot?_ He thought, _how in the hay could I ever be friends with someone so…out of it?!_ With these thoughts, he completely forgot her kindness in giving him food. He didn't realize that he still had much to learn about what being a true friend is all about…


	5. Jackets and Jeers

…After checking his map and finding Twilight's castle, he walked out of Sugar Cube Corner and into the unknown of Ponyville. He didn't know anypony, and he preferred to keep it that way. After all, he only associated with other ponies if he absolutely had to. So to say that he was not looking forward to these friendship lessons was a bit of an understatement.

He passed by a certain building that looked like it had been built by circus ponies. He sputtered a bit at its funny design before heading on towards the castle. He had only taken a few hoof steps when an oddly familiar voice rang in his ear. "You!" The voice said in a shrill and somewhat sophisticated manner, "you insult me at Sugar Cube Corner and you have the GALL to come prancing by my boutique as if nothing happened!"

He turned and groaned a bit, for there was the white coated unicorn that had been in line in front of him. "Look, unicorn," he said in disgust, "I already told you I'm not apologizing for it."

She sneered at him. "HM! Well, I've never met such a dreadful pony in all my life!" 

"Takes one to know one," he said snidely.

"You beast!" She shouted at him, "how dare you make a mockery of Rarity, the finest fashion designer in all of Equestria!" 

"Oh, oh, I'm so sorry," he said sarcastically, "I didn't realize I was addressing a unicorn who's only thought and practice is in meaningless fabric."

She snorted a bit and rubbed her hoof on the ground in anger. "Meaningless fabric, you say?" she scoffed, "well, that 'meaningless fabric' could be used to create a divine jacket for you. It is cold out here. Why in Equestria aren't you properly bundled up?"

He groaned again. Who was this unicorn, and why on earth did she go from insulting him to offering him a jacket? "Look, unicorn," he said again, "I'm fine-"

"The name's Rarity," she said pointedly, "and I'd like it if you would call me that instead of simply referring to me as 'unicorn.'"

"I'll call you whatever I darn well please," he said, "I don't care about your feelings. I really don't give a crap, because your kind doesn't give a crap about where or when you practice your disgusting magic!" With that, he stomped at the ground and trotted off towards the castle.

Rarity's mouth fell open. _Why, I never…I've never been spoken to like that in my life! Not even Sweetie Belle dares to speak to me like that!_ With that, tears began to fall and she raced back inside her shop. Here she had tried to be the bigger pony. She had realized that she was out of line just as much as he was and she tried to be nice. She had even offered to make him a coat to wear, and he had run off.

 _I just don't understand it,_ she thought, _how could somepony refuse an offer like that? I was only trying to be generous. It's what I do. But now…now I fear I have driven away a potential friend._ She sighed as her crying spell ended. _I must do something about this!_ She said to herself, _I'll show him who's the bigger pony. I'll make him a jacket and personally deliver it to him. Then he'll have to talk to me!_

She had managed to get a good look at his body and, using her extensive knowledge of fabrics, accessories, and the like, crafted him a one-of-a-kind jacket. After finishing it, she stepped back and took a moment to admire her handiwork. "Yes," she said out loud, "I do believe he will enjoy it. At least, I hope he does." With that she boxed up the jacket and dashed out the door and towards Twilight's palace…


	6. Arrival

…Maddock climbed the steps to the castle doors and knocked. He took notice of the fact that this castle was up in a tree, and it had something that looked like a star on top. It was a gigantic, grandiose place. He even thought that it surpassed the palace of Canterlot. Beside the castle, across a little stream, was another maze of buildings that appeared to be an institution of some sort. _That must be the School of Friendship,_ he thought.

The wind whipped around him once again as someone opened the door. He found himself staring at a small dragon. "Uh…can I help you?" The dragon asked frankly. "Yeah," Maddock said, "I'm looking for a Princess Twilight. I was told she lives here. My name's Maddock, and-"

At this point, the dragon began smiling. "You're Maddock? Awesome! Princess Luna wrote to us and told us you were coming. Come in! Come in!" With that, the dragon turned and led Maddock down a humongous hall. Maddock tried to take it all in at once, but he surmised that it would take more than one viewing to truly appreciate the beauty and precise architecture that stood around him.

"Whoever designed this must have been some architect," he said breathlessly. The dragon laughed a bit. "Well, nopony designed it," he said, "it grew out of a magic chest that was unlocked by six keys."

"Six keys?"

"Yep! Twilight had one and her friends had the other five. I was there. It was an amazing experience. See, they were fighting this dude, Tirek, and-"

"Tirek? Oh, yeah, I remember seeing that in the Canterlot Times about how they beat him. They had a big ceremony honoring them afterwards, as I recall."

"Yep, they sure did. Did you go?"

"No. I don't really do royal ceremonies."

"Oh," the dragon said with a bit of disappointment. Then he turned up and stopped walking. "Ah, here we are," he said as he pushed open the doors in front of them. He took them into a gigantic room. Some tree roots hung from the ceiling, acting as a chandelier. Maddock found this an impressive, if a bit odd, interior design choice. Underneath the chandelier sat six thrones. Five of them were empty, but one held an occupant.

Maddock stopped short. The occupant was a very pretty purple mare. "Maddock, meet Princess Twilight Sparkle," the dragon said. Twilight regarded him with a friendly smile. "Hi, there," she said kindly before moving from her throne and sitting in front of him. She offered a hoof, which Maddock shook, more out of respect for her position than out of excitement over meeting her.

"It's really nice to meet you," she said. He cocked his head a bit. _Why on earth is she so…civil? She's a princess, for crying out loud! She should be talking down to me and asking me to call her "Your Highness" and stuff like that._ Out loud, he said, "it's nice to meet you too, Your Highness-"

"No, none of that," she said suddenly, "I'm the Princess of Friendship, which means everypony is-"

"Your friend?"

"Well, yes, to put it bluntly," she said, "so you don't have to call me Your Highness or be very formal around me. I'm just another pony. Truth be told, I'm not too much of a princess." Here she laughed. It was a sweet and gentle laugh, one that made Maddock curious about what that laugh could be hiding. Was it a sincere laugh, or just one that she used when greeting special guests?

She continued, "I'm more of Equestria's official ambassador for friendship. The title just comes with the job." She smiled at him. Her smile seemed sincere, but was it? Did she really have his best interests at heart, or did Celestia and Luna send him on a wild goose chase to Ponyville just to decrease the homeless population of Canterlot? _That would figure,_ he said, _they're all royalty. Why would they care about a homeless pony like me?_

"So, Luna's letter said you were homeless in Canterlot," Twilight continued. She frowned a bit, but the frown wasn't so much in disgust as it was in concern. _Could this pony actually care?_ He dared to ask himself. It would be refreshing to have somepony legitimately care about him instead of just feeling sorry for him and putting him up for the night. _If only she didn't have that blasted unicorn horn,_ he thought.

"I'm so sorry to hear that you didn't have a home," Twilight said. Genuine concern laced the sweet vocals that met his ear. "But that won't have to be the case anymore," she went on, "as long as you're my student, you have a home here at the Castle of Friendship. Here, let me show you to your quarters."

With that, she turned and led Maddock down a long hallway. The young dragon came as well, carrying Maddock's things. After a bit of a walk, she stopped in front of a door. She used her magic to open the door, to which Maddock thought some very unsavory things, and walked inside. He followed and stared in awe at just how spacious the room was.

"It's not very much," Twilight said, "but consider it a gift from a new friend." She smiled again and this time Maddock couldn't help but smile back. It was as if he felt warm around this pony. _But she's a former unicorn,_ he said, _how the hay can I be so warm and happy around somepony who only seeks to show off to other ponies, no matter the danger?!_ Still, though, he did feel warm. It was the warmest he had felt in weeks, and he didn't want it to go away.

Twilight moved around him back to the door. "I'll just let you get settled," she said, "welcome to the castle family, Maddock!" With that, she and the dragon left and shut the door behind them. Maddock couldn't help but stare for a few minutes. _Why are Equestrian royals so interested in me?_ He thought, _and for that matter, why the hay do they want me to learn friendship? Friendship is for fools! Still, though, if it means I get to be around her for a few days…I guess it won't be so bad. UGH! But she's a former unicorn! Why am I having these thoughts?!_ Having no answers to these questions, he quietly unpacked his things.

He had no visitors for the rest of the day, save for the dragon coming by and checking on him every once in a while. His mind spun with the questions he was asking himself. Why did the royal ponies want anything to do with him? Why did Twilight ask that he not address her as "Princess" or "Your Majesty?" Didn't she realize her own position of power and influence? For that matter, why was she on his mind so much…and why didn't he want her to leave? She was once a unicorn, for crying out loud! He hated unicorns! So, why were these thoughts plaguing him?

He refused the dinner that was offered to him, stiffly telling Twilight that he wasn't hungry. Twilight looked taken aback by his bluntness, but gently accepted his refusal. He just wanted to be alone for a little while. As he turned to leave the banquet hall, Twilight called after him. "Maddock, is everything OK?"

He gave her a bit of a look. He thought about lashing out at her right then and there, for everything her pony kind had done to him. How dare she ask him if he were OK when it was magic, the element of harmony she embodied, that had taken what was dearest to him? Even so, he didn't want to be disrespectful to a royal pony. That could get him in major trouble with Celestia and Luna. So he sighed, "yes, I just…need some time alone."

"OK," Twilight said, "if you need anything, I'm right down the hall from your room."

With that, he left and returned to his quarters. His mind was spinning even worse than before. The questions amplified themselves until it felt like a marching band was playing a full concert in his brain. Upon arriving at his room, he silently shut the door behind him and prepared for the night. He normally didn't go to bed early, mainly because he was kept awake by the nightly noises of Canterlot mere feet away from his ear, but tonight he changed his routine. His mind raced in confusion and he fell into a troublesome sleep…


	7. A Mishap with Starlight

Maddock awoke the next morning feeling absolutely exhausted. His dreams had troubled him just as much as his thoughts did when he was awake. He wanted nothing more than for the confusion and unnerving feelings to dissipate. But, alas, nothing relieved him. He thought he would never find the end to the labyrinthine notions that inundated his weary head.

He noticed a stack of books on the desk in the room. Having nothing else to do, he rose from his bed and used his nose to open the first one. "A Journal of Friendship," he said out loud, "by…Twilight Sparkle?" Here, he couldn't help but laugh. Was Twilight so self-absorbed that she wanted him to learn from a book she had written?

Then he stopped and did a double take. There were five other names under Twilight's. _Ah…so she's not a narcissist,_ he thought. The names read as follows: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and… _RARITY?!_ He screamed internally, _she's friends with that…that…that unicorn?! I suppose I should've guessed it. Their kind always sticks together. Once a unicorn, always a unicorn. No amount of magic transformation can change the inner nature of a unicorn. They'll always show off, no matter what._

At that point, there was a knock on the door. "Maddock?" A female voice said from the other side, "my name's Starlight Glimmer. Princess Twilight sent me to check on you and make sure you're ready for your first day of friendship tutoring." Having been beckoned, he moved to the door and opened it…to find a young unicorn standing there.

His mouth fell open. Not only was he being forced to learn friendship from a former unicorn, but she had a unicorn assistant?! He gave her a bit of a disgusted look. "Look, unicorn," he said sharply, using the derogatory term he used on every unicorn, "I'm fine. I don't need you. I just need to get these 'friendship lessons' over with so that I can return to Canterlot."

"Uh…OK. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Do you have gum stuck in your ears?! I just said-" here he got in her face, "-I DON'T NEED YOU! I'm perfectly fine! I don't need a UNICORN to help me out. If you were somepony else, like an Earth pony, then I'd probably be more inclined to accept it. But as it stands, you have that horn on your head, which means you perform magic, and since you aren't royalty, I can treat you however I darn well want! It was YOUR KIND that took everything away from me! YOU! I hate you, and I don't even know you! That horn betrays your own narcissism, and I DON'T NEED YOU!"

He finished his rant out of breath and he slammed the door in her face. Starlight's eyes welled up with tears. She was in shock. _Wh…what just happened?_ She thought. At this point, the door reopened and Maddock appeared, carrying the books from his room. "Ugh! Are you still here?" He asked sarcastically, "look, I said I don't need you so just go away!"

Starlight began crying heavily and ran from the hall. Maddock smirked triumphantly. _I sure put her in her place,_ he thought haughtily and began moving towards where Twilight had said to meet him for his first lesson. As he walked down the hall, his hatred for Starlight only grew. How dare she, a unicorn, ask him, an Earth pony, if he needed her help. He was above her. Only true ponies didn't use magic.

He arrived at the meeting location and opened the door, to find Starlight crying and Twilight giving him a very angry look. "Maddock!" She said firmly. Maddock immediately felt nervous and slunk across the floor, not daring to look Twilight in the eye for fear she would banish him. After all, she was a princess. "…yes, Twilight?"

"How dare you," the princess said sternly, "how dare you insult Starlight in my own home. How dare you!"

"But, princess, she's a…"

"A unicorn, yes," Twilight said with anger in her voice, "and every bit as equal to you as anypony else. I will NOT have you insulting the guidance counselor of my school, and one of my best friends. I will NOT stand for it. Do I make myself CLEAR?!"

At this, Maddock was shaking. What happened to the sweet and kind pony of the night before? This was a totally different pony. "…Y…Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now, I think it's prudent that you learn your first friendship lesson from this. See, one of the elements of friendship is kindness, and it looks like you could do with a good dose of it. So, we're gonna sit in on Professor Fluttershy's class today."

"Professor who?"

"Fluttershy. She's a close friend of mine, and the best kindness teacher around. But before we do that, I think a fair punishment for you would be for you to write Starlight a letter of apology."

Maddock whined, "Apology?! Oh, come on, Twilight!"

"NO complaining, Maddock," the princess said sharply, "if you're going to live in my house, you're going to obey the rules, and one of the rules is that everypony in this castle treats other ponies with decency, courtesy, kindness, and respect, no matter what. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Maddock said sheepishly

"Good," Twilight said before giving him another stern look, "and if I hear of another outburst like this, the punishment will be even more severe." Here, her gaze softened and she turned back into the sweet pony from the night before. "But let me make one thing clear. I am never going to give up on you." She smiled at him again. This time, the smile felt more genuine than it had when they first met.

"Now, I think you have a letter to write. Pens and quills are over there," she pointed to a desk with her hoof, "and there's some parchment in the drawer. I'll expect the letter delivered to Starlight in her office in the school before lunch. If that doesn't happen, then you'll be given marks off on your first lesson for being tardy." With that, Twilight and Starlight left the room and Maddock, swallowing his pride, slowly took out some parchment and ink and began to write…


	8. Defeated Pride

Maddock didn't know where to begin. He had never written anything apologizing to anypony before. He had never had reason to. So, after a few minutes of writer's block, he decided to go and seek advice from the pony who had punished him this way. Even so, he felt the punishment was unfair. _How was I supposed to know she was the guidance counselor of the school and Twilight's friend?_ He grumbled to himself as he walked along.

He checked Twilight's room, but found nopony there. He did, however, find the young dragon. "Um…excuse me?" Maddock said softly. He didn't want to insult the dragon and have Twilight punish him even more, so he decided to make things very professional. The dragon turned and regarded him with a stern look. "Oh, it's you," the dragon said, "what do you want?"

Maddock scoffed and his professionalism went out the metaphorical window. "Oh, come on. I say one little thing to Starlight, and now everypony and dragon in the castle has turned against me. That's some friendship Twilight's teaching."

The dragon whirled around. "Look, man, I know you're new to the whole 'friendship' thing, but what you said to Starlight was completely unacceptable!" Here the dragon slowed and took a deep breath, "but, I am honor bound to help guests of the princess. By the way, my name's Spike. I don't want you referring to me as 'dragon,' or anything like that."

"Oh, no. I'd never call you anything like that. Really, the only ponies I have anything against are unicorns."

"But why have anything against them at all?"

Maddock gave him a vicious look. "They took everything from me!"

Spike recoiled a bit. "Yeah, Luna mentioned that you had a rough experience with a unicorn when you were young. She didn't explicitly state what it was, but…it must've been awfully traumatic to have you behaving like this."

Maddock stopped short as he realized that the dragon was absolutely right. His behavior was a direct result of the exacting trauma he had experienced as a colt. But none of that mattered now. His family was gone, and it was all a unicorn's doing because she was showing off. To him, the narcissism of unicorns was absolute. They could never be changed. Call it delusion or simple ignorance, but he had gotten to the point where he felt unicorns were just born as self-absorbed ponies.

Quickly, Maddock changed the subject. "I'm looking for Princess Twilight. I need help…writing my apology letter." He blushed heavily in embarrassment. Here he was, a grown stallion, having to grovel at the hooves of another pony because he couldn't write a letter. He was absolutely mortified.

Spike pointed out the window, "she's already gone to school for the day. Her class is in session right now. But I'm sure if you wait in her office, she'll be there right after she gets through teaching."

So Maddock left the room and went outside. He crossed the stream that divided Twilight's property between the castle and the school. The first thing he noticed was how beautiful the school was. It wasn't so much a school as it was one of those peaceful, serene, retreat like places he had seen advertised on some posters back in Canterlot.

Upon entering the school, Maddock was quickly clobbered in the face by a griffon racing past. "Oh, sorry, man," the griffon said as he helped Maddock back to his hooves, "I'm late for Professor Dash's class, and I didn't see you there. You OK?" Maddock nodded. "Good. Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around, then." With that, the griffon raced away.

 _School of Friendship, eh?_ Maddock said to himself, _well, that griffon was friendly enough…I guess._ Oddly enough, Maddock held no prejudices against other creatures. The only creatures he thoroughly hated were unicorns. It was an odd mentality, but it was the mentality he held. He was sticking to it and nopony could stop him from it.

He walked up some stairs and consulted a small directory that was hanging under a big picture of Twilight. He noticed that there were smaller pictures of other ponies hanging next to her. With an angry grunt, he realized that one of the ponies pictured there was the white unicorn that he had fought with earlier.

 _There's no time to think about that,_ he thought as he looked at the directory. It had the names of all the different rooms in this maze of buildings that somehow functioned as an educational institute. _Hm…Twilight's office…room 31._ Now that he had that information, he proceeded up the hall towards the office.

When he arrived, the door was open. A sign said, "Twilight is available for friendship advice at this time," and the Princess's cutie mark was stamped underneath it. Slowly, he made his way into the office. Twilight was sitting at her desk, grading a test she had just administered. She noticed the young stallion slowly come in with his head hung low.

She put down her quill and smiled at him. "Hi, Maddock," she said, "are you finished with your letter to Starlight?"

At this point, Maddock didn't know what to do. He was so thoroughly embarrassed that he couldn't write the letter. He didn't want to admit to Twilight that he was as big of an idiot as she probably thought he was. It wouldn't do him any good and it certainly wouldn't score him any points with the young mare seated in front of him.

"Well…truthfully, Twilight…no."

She gave him a stern look. "Maddock, are you skipping this?"

"No, no! I…I just…I…I don't know what to do!" He finally sputtered out.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked and then added tentatively, "…do you know how to write, Maddock?

"Of course I know how to write!" Maddock said before shutting up. He probably shouldn't have used that tone of voice with Twilight. She gave him another stern look. "You really need to learn how to control your voice," she said, "but, no matter. I'd much rather have you yell at me than at one of my friends. Now, I'm trying to help. I'm not trying to insult you. I'm gonna ask you one more time. Do you know how to write?"

Maddock answered in a more respectful tone, "yes, I definitely know how to write. It's just…I don't know what to say."

"Well, what are you trying to say?"

"I have no idea. I've never apologized to anypony, and especially never to a unicorn." Just saying those words made him want to empty the contents of his stomach all over the floor. Didn't Twilight understand that unicorns were nothing but trouble?

"Well, now's as good a time to start as any," Twilight said. She got up from her desk and maneuvered to where he was standing. "I'm glad you asked for my help, Maddock," she said, "after the way you treated Starlight, I was afraid you wouldn't talk to me because of this," she pointed to her horn, "but maybe you are learning something after all. Come on. I'll give you a little extra time to finish it. I'm going on lunch, so I can help you. It's easy once you get to it." With that, she and Maddock left the office and returned to the castle…


	9. Small Changes

_This is definitely the dumbest thing I've ever done in my life,_ Maddock thought as Twilight led him back into the castle. To think that he would be forced to write a letter of apology to a unicorn who deserved every single word he had spat at her. _How dare Twilight!_ He said, _I only did what had to be done. Doesn't she know unicorns are born self-absorbed and prideful? Probably not, considering she used to be one. Her own inherent pride is what's causing her to do this to me._ His hatred flared inside of him and he knocked over a vase that was nearby. It crashed to the floor and Twilight turned.

"Maddock!" She said sharply, "I don't know what's gotten into you, but pick that up right now."

"No!" Maddock said in a voice that would make a brattish foal sound intelligent

"I said, 'pick that up,' NOW!" Twilight said even more firmly.

But Maddock stood against her. The two ponies huffed and puffed in each other's faces for a moment. It was at this time that Maddock realized, with some form of shock, that Twilight had really pretty eyes. Unfortunately, those eyes were blazing with anger and it was all directed at him. He felt as if he would crumble under her penetrating gaze.

But even so, he stood against her and didn't move a muscle. "OK," she said, "since you wanna be so stubborn and insult my friends and destroy my property…TWO apology letters to Starlight and myself and you will help Spike clean this castle from top to bottom before the day's through! That's on top of your visit to Fluttershy's class. That starts in two hours, so if I were you, I'd get to work!"

This time, her gaze was so sharp that it pierced Maddock down to his very soul. He slowly backed off and said, "yes, Twilight." Twilight came forward and held up his head with a hoof. The look she gave him was all he needed to see. It was laced with anger at what he had done, but there was also a look of genuine concern that seemed to coat the eyes that looked down at him.

 _What is it with this pony?_ He asked himself, _she turns from the sweetest pony in the world to a raging pony demon at the flick of a hoof! What's worse, I can't get her out of my mind. Why can't I get her out of my mind? She's a freakin' unicorn…OK, former unicorn, but my point still stands!_

At this point, the anger seemed to melt away from Twilight's eyes. "Maddock, there's something bothering you," she said, "you know, one of the tenets of a good friendship is conversation, so let's have one. But first, I have to apologize." Maddock's ears pricked up. Apologize? To him? What for? He had been the one to foolishly knock a vase over.

"I was too rough on you when you knocked that vase over, and I'm sorry. Lashing out in blind anger to something like that isn't the best idea."

"Twilight, you don't need to apologize for that. If anything, I need to apologize. I shouldn't have done that. I'm just so…frustrated at everything that's happening to me."

"You are? But Princess Celestia herself sent you here to learn about friendship"

"Yeah, from a former unicorn"

Twilight's face screwed up in a sour look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Once a unicorn, always a unicorn. You guys are so narcissistic and proud that you don't care what's going on around you!"

Twilight stopped short. She realized that something in his past was driving this, but she couldn't figure out what it was. Whatever it was, it had something to do with a unicorn. "Maddock," she softly pressed, "why do you hate unicorns?"

Maddock whirled around to her, tears streaming down his cheeks. "BECAUSE THEY TOOK MY FAMILY AWAY FROM ME! THEY KILLED MY PARENTS!" He shouted before breaking down. He sobbed on the floor as Twilight came over and placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder. He looked up at her and saw kindness and love lacing the purple princess's visage.

"It's OK," she said softly, "I know how it feels to have something you love dearly taken away from you."

"How?" he asked between sobs, "how could you possibly know the pain I endure on a daily basis because of what somepony else did?"

"Because when I moved to Ponyville, I lost everything. My mother and father, my big brother, my mentor. Yes, I lost everything I held dear except for Spike."

He got up and faced her. "What do you mean? Your parents and brother are still alive, aren't they? Twilight Velvet, Night Light, and Prince Shining Armor. I read all about them in the papers back in Canterlot."

"Yes, they may still be alive," she said, "but they live far away. I don't get to see them like I used to, and it does hurt me. Sure, I could go to Canterlot whenever I wanted to, but then nopony would be here to help solve friendship problems."

Maddock realized the enormity of the responsibility that weighed on Twilight's shoulders. She was in charge of every single friendship in Equestria and, considering the country was an extremely friendly place, that was no small number.

"Being royal and running a school means I don't have the time to spend with my family that I would like to. Nopony can ever replace them in my heart, but I have good friends here in Ponyville to help ease that pain."

"You really believe in this whole friendship thing, don't you?"

She nodded. "I wouldn't be the Princess of Friendship if I didn't. Look, Maddock, friendship is for everypony, Earth, Pegasus, and Unicorn alike. We are all equal based on that. Nopony is superior to another pony because they have wings or walk on the ground or have magic. I'm sorry that your experience has caused you not to see that. Truly, I am. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain you go through because of it. But you have to stop blaming every unicorn for the mistakes of one pony. I know you can change if you let true friendship in, as I once had to learn to do. You have to let go of these prejudices. They just aren't true."

Maddock was taken by the complete understanding in her eyes. She got it. She understood him. Could he possibly be friends with the princess? _No…not after what I did,_ he thought, _she probably doesn't want to teach me anything anymore. She's probably saying all this just to make me feel better._

He sighed. "You probably don't wanna be friends with somepony like me, though. I mean, I insulted your Starlight friend pretty badly."

She smiled at him. Little did he know it, but he would grow to adore that smile above all others. "Of course I wanna be your friend," she said, "but first, I have to be your teacher. That job entails a lot, and it includes making sure you learn your lesson when you do something wrong. Since you seem to be coming around a bit, I'll revoke the apology letter to me. But I still want you to write something to Starlight and I want you to clean up the mess you made. Come on. I'll help you."

She started to move, but he held his hoof up. "No, Twilight," he said, "this is…something I need to do alone." With that, he began to move away. Twilight watched him go and a small smile played with the corners of her lips. _He's getting it,_ she said to herself, _he's changing…_


End file.
